The present invention relates generally to security apparatus, and more particularly to the implementation of security system with a telecommunication device.
Theft of valuable small articles continues to be a problem for travelers, homeowners and apartment dwellers, who routinely utilize valuable items in the normal course of their daily activities. Wireless telephones, briefcases, luggage, portable computers, digital cameras, and other easily identifiable valuables make attractive targets for thieves.
Today, millions of handheld devices are in use throughout the world. That number is expected to further increase dramatically in the next few years. Users of camera cell phones, laptops, and digital cameras should carefully guard their personal/business devices.
Anti-theft designs have varied in detail but typically consist of different combinations of motion or separation detectors, signaling devices for remote control, and alarm devices. For example, one prior art system includes an alarmed luggage strap that triggers an alarm when a would-be thief opens a carrying case or luggage article encircled by the luggage strap. However, the device does not prevent the carrying case from being removed from the premises before opening. Several known devices trigger an alarm when two units—a transmitter unit and a detector unit—are separated by more than a preset distance. This luggage alarm device triggers an alarm at the control unit located with the owner, when the owner is separated from the luggage. Alarm devices based on separation devices do not distinguish between separation caused by movement of the protected article and separation as a result of the owner walking away temporarily. To protect against an article being removed by a thief, the separation distance over and above which an alarm occurs should be set as short as practical. However, for these devices to be convenient for routine travel, the distance over and above which the alarm occurs must be fairly large to avoid false alarms. Therefore, with separation distance-based alarm devices, a theft attempt may not be detected until the protected article has been more than a considerable distance from the owner.
Other known devices trigger an alarm when a motion sensing device detects movement of the protected article. Unlike the devices based on separation distance, motion sensing devices respond to an attempted theft instantaneously when the protected device is moved, but prior art motion sensing devices are prone to false alarms because they do not distinguish between motion caused by the owner or a motion caused by a theft.
Desirable in the art of anti-theft alarm wireless systems are new low-cost designs that provide a portable security system for protection of the wireless telephone and other valuables.